Eagles' Chris Long duped a lot of reporters and The Daily Caller on Twitter

Eagles defensive end Chris Long duped a number of reporters (and at least one news website) with a sarcastic tweet mocking the toughness of hockey players.

MICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer

There is no sarcasm on the internet. There is only outrage.

Eagles defender Chris Long, an avid social media user who has the most entertaining Twitter account this side of Joel Embiid, decided to mix it up a bit Monday night during two big sports events — Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets, and Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Washington Capitals.

I see some ppl saying “turn on the Stanley Cup.” Guys take too many breaks in hockey. Shift changes constantly. For instance, last night,, Lebron played the entire game. I’d rather watch the grinders.

Long sent the sarcastic tweet with the intention of mocking people who criticize athletes for being weak or soft. But despite clearly saying it was a "joke" in a subsequent tweet, his message was read as a ridiculous criticism of hockey by a number of reporters and media personalities.

"Oh, Chris. Stick to…..everything else in the world that you're absolutely right about," wrote Dallas Morning News columnist Tim Cowlishaw in a now-deleted tweet. "And ask an Eagles trainer about what it takes to play hockey."

Boston-based MLB reporter Jen Royle was also among those who were fooled.

What in the hell.... Guarantee most NFL players couldn’t skate a 2-minute shift. This is brutal. https://t.co/7Ptxn8FaN0

Perhaps duped most of all was the conservative news website The Daily Caller, which called the message "one of the dumbest tweets you'll ever see about hockey." Daily Caller reporter David Hookstead wrote a post tearing down Long's apparent criticism of the toughness of hockey players, noting they "skate around with knives attached to their feet" and that "NHL players are lightyears tougher than their NBA counterparts."

"The problem is, I'm going to be like walking through Canada at some point and just get jumped," Long told ESPN's Tim McManus following Tuesday's practice. "And I'm going to be laying on the ground and I'm going to be like, 'It was a joke.' "

In addition to his love of social media, Long has become one of the most widely recognized NFL players protesting racial injustice during the national anthem. On Tuesday, Long made it clear that he wasn't a fan of the league's new national anthem policy, which was adopted by NFL owners last week.

"It's their right, but I think it was a dumb move and I think it was clumsy," the veteran defensive lineman said. "I don't think it was rooted in patriotism. I love this country, I love our vets, the guys protesting love our country and love our vets.